[gourds] Gourds collapsing/rotting while developing
MOORE John (gourds@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 19 Jan 1998 17:26:13 +1100
Hi everyone,
We are in the middle of summer, and I thought my gourds were going well,
until I noticed that all the gourds that appeared to have set recently
(generally through my own manual efforts) are not developing beyond 2 or
3 inches in diameter, when they just seem to give up. They go soft,
collapse and mostly start to rot, on otherwise healthy looking vines,
and these are the same vines that have already got large healthy looking
gourds on them that set one or two months ago, including a large bottle
gourd the size of a basketball. What might be causing this? I
fertilized them recently with a complete fertilizer, but believe I
followed the directions properly. It has been quite hot recently (41
deg C last Saturday), but I keep them watered and they rarely wilt
during the day. No sign of mildew yet. Any suggestions?
John Moore
Melbourne
Australia